Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The term probate refers to a collection of documents, including wills, administrations (also called admons), inventories, and act books. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858.

1. Search indexes to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail given in the index.

2. Go to the "Records" below to determine what probate records exist for this court.

3. Obtain the records to search. Use one of these methods to find indexes and records:

Contact or visit the Archive (see below) or hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf.

1. First search each index (see below) to help you more quickly find the will, writing down each detail cited in the indexed entry.

2. Proceed then to the "Records" section (see below) to determine what probate records exist for this court.

3. Contact or visit the Lancashire Record Office to hire a professional record searcher to view these records on your behalf, citing information obtained from the index[es]. Officials may send upon request a list of record searchers.

4. You can also visit The Family History Library, or, one of its 4,500 satellite family history centers worldwide and search indexes (see the Family History Library's cataloged entries providing the microfilms so you can have them circulated to the center near you for searching the wills). The information obtained from the index[es] will help you more quickly search the wills and admons which can also be circulated on microfilm via any family history.

Most of the wills in the Court of the Bishop of Chester which include many Lancashire wills, have been indexed and are now available [1]. This index contains the names of the deceased as well the placename at the time of the will or admon probate action. When the will or admon has been found via the index, a scanned copy of the will may also be purchased for £3 per copy made, at this website.

Part of Lancashire south of the River Ribble is in the diocese of Chester. The following online index for pre-1859 probate can help in searches for people proved in all the probate courts that cover Lancashire. Lancashire probate records in the diocese of Chester. Try this online index!

The Lancashire and Cheshire Society has published extensive will and administration indexes for the two counties' probate records (see below, under Printed and Published Indexes), many of which are now available online.

Original will indexes 1545-1858 are available in print by both the Lancashire & Cheshire Record Society and the Chetham Society. These two voluminous series contain numerous and extensive indexes to the records of wills and administrations for this major probate court jurisdiction for Lancashire. These volume series are often available at many major archives in the United Kingdom such as at the British Library, and Guildhall Library, London, and other like institutions. The Family History Library likewise has most all of the volume of indexes in this series are available in book form and on microfilm (the last three volumes below are available in book form only) as follows:

The Lancashire & Cheshire Record Society--

The following volumes of indexes to wills have been published in the Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society (hyper-links indicate, online accessibility):

The indexes as listed in the above are also available covering the years 1541-1858 at The Family History Library and they are on microfilm and may be circulated to each of its satellite family history centers worldwide.

Starting in 1796, a tax or death duty was payable on estates over a certain value. Estate duty abstracts may add considerable information not found elsewhere. Estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to Estate Duty Records.